How to verify a surgeon in Albania

To verify a surgeon in Albania you have to ask for documents and, ideally, have the Order of Physicians confirm them in writing. There is no public online register where you can type a name and see a result, so the checks take a few emails. This guide lists them in the order that saves most time.

The same steps apply whether the surgeon is Albanian, Italian, Turkish or from elsewhere. We do not verify surgeons for individual readers; see the methodology for what we check ourselves.

What does Albanian law require of a doctor?

Albanian law requires a doctor to be a member of the Order of Physicians and to hold an individual licence. Law 123/2014 sets this out, and the Order keeps the register. For a surgeon to describe themselves as a plastic surgeon or an ENT surgeon, they should also hold the matching specialist qualification.

We looked for a public online search of that register and found none. Do not assume the absence of a website means the surgeon is unlicensed. It means the check goes through the surgeon and the Order.

What should you ask the surgeon for?

Ask for the following, by email, before you pay anything:

1. Full name as it appears on the licence.
2. Order of Physicians licence number and the date it was issued.
3. Specialist diploma: specialty, university and year.
4. Where they operate, and whether they live in Albania or visit.
5. Rhinoplasty experience: number a year and number of revisions.

A surgeon who is registered will have these to hand. See plastic surgeon or ENT for what the two specialties mean for rhinoplasty. The NHS also advises asking about training, professional memberships, years in practice and how many similar procedures a surgeon has done.

How do you get written confirmation from the Order?

Ask the Order of Physicians to confirm in writing that the named person is a member, holds an individual licence and holds the claimed specialty. We found no public online route, so you may need to contact the Order’s office directly or ask the clinic to obtain the confirmation and send it to you. If the clinic says it is not possible, ask the surgeon to forward their own certificate and request the Order’s contact details.

Written confirmation takes days or weeks. Start early. If you are travelling soon, do not skip the check to save time; move the date.

How do you verify a foreign or visiting surgeon?

Verify a foreign surgeon in two places: their home register and their authorisation to practise in Albania. Some surgeons in Tirana are Turkish or Italian and may visit for set days.

Surgeon from	Home register	Also check
Italy	FNOMCeO Albo	Authorisation to practise in Albania; see Italian surgeons in Tirana
Turkey	Ministry of Health; the plastic surgery society TPRECD	Authorisation to practise in Albania
Other	The national medical register of that country	Authorisation to practise in Albania

A surgeon registered at home but not authorised in Albania, or the reverse, is a gap you should resolve before booking. Ask the clinic for the authorisation document.

How do you check the clinic?

Check the clinic separately, because a licensed clinic can still employ or host an unverified surgeon. Search the clinic’s legal name or NIPT in the QKB entity search and look for an active II.6 licence. Hospitals (B.1) and day hospitals (B.2) are the categories that fit general anaesthesia. See hospital or clinic.

Albania’s health inspectorate, ISHSH, inspects providers but does not license them. It announced in March 2026 that plastic-surgery licensing is a priority for 2026. We found no public list of accredited institutions, so a badge on a website cannot be checked from a public list.

What about international society directories?

International society directories are a useful extra, not a substitute. A surgeon listed by a society such as ISAPS has been admitted under that society’s rules. In our research the ISAPS directory listed only one Albanian surgeon as an active member; surgeons who work in Tirana may be listed under another country or not at all. Absence from a directory is not a warning sign by itself, and presence is not a guarantee. Always check the national licence as well.

What are the red flags?

Red flags when verifying a surgeon include:

• The surgeon is not named before you pay a deposit
• No licence number is given, or the number cannot be matched to a name
• The clinic says “our Italian surgeons” or “our team” without names
• The surgeon who runs the consultation is not the one who operates
• The clinic discourages you from contacting the Order or from meeting the surgeon first

The NHS advises meeting the surgeon yourself rather than only sales staff, and not paying for a hospital or surgeon you have not seen or met. See red flags and unlicensed clinics.

What if you cannot verify the surgeon?

If you cannot verify the surgeon, do not book with that surgeon. You can ask another clinic, or choose a surgeon in your home country. You can walk away at any point, and the NHS says so. Keep your emails and the replies; they show what the clinic would and would not confirm.

Next steps

Use questions to ask a clinic to put the requests in one email, and how to choose a clinic for the full method. The surgeons hub has more guides.